The 31 Best Back-to-School Tips for 2013

The end of a relaxing summer is hard enough to face without stressing about your kids' return to the classroom. These ideas for family bonding, healthy eating, academic success, and more will make the transition a whole lot smoother.

Celebrate the first day

Celebrate the first day

Start a first-day-of-school morning tradition, says Laura Bay, 2013 to 2015 National PTA president-elect, who gets up early to make her kids' favorite breakfasts each year. No time for an elaborate morning meal? Take a photo to commemorate the occasion, go out for ice cream after school, or slip an encouraging note into your child's backpack, suggests Sherrie Le Masurier, author of Organized Simplicity. These special traditions will make the first day of school seem like something to celebrate rather than something to dread.

Get organized with apps

Get organized with apps

During this crazy-busy time of year, keep everything on the one device that follows you everywhere: your phone. For after-school sports management, try TeamSnap, which lets you track your children's game schedule, players' contact information, and team photos. To get some back-to-school shopping support, download ShopSavvy, an app that allows you to scan barcodes and compare prices among different stores. And finally, the most important part of back-to-school—your child's academics. Help them make studying less painful with flashcard-focused app Mental Case—they'll be much more enthusiastic about studying when a smartphone or tablet is involved.